CHOCOLATE MERINGUES

These are a favourite of children and adults alike. At Bourke Street Bakery we only bake them if we can fit them into the schedule, or if we have egg whites left over from another recipe. Often we go six months between bakes, and the protests are quite loud and continuous at these times. Which is why we’ve included these meringue recipes from our previous book, in case you missed them first time round.

Prepare the meringue mixture on the opposite page.

Sift 100 g (3½ oz) unsweetened cocoa powder into a large bowl. Using a large serving spoon, scoop out a meringue a little larger than a tennis ball and drop it into the cocoa. Working with one ball at a time, swirl the bowl to make the meringue roll like a ball and completely coat it with cocoa. Gently lift the meringue out and place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with the remaining meringue to make up to six balls in total.

Gently dig the tips of your fingers into the meringue and drag them upwards, creating streaks of white and chocolate meringue. Bake at 100°C (200°F) for about 1½ hours, or until crisp on the outside and soft in the centre.

---

SOME TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL MERINGUES!

• To get the best results, you really need to make sure all your equipment is spotlessly clean, dry and free of grease before you start. After carefully washing all bowls and mixing implements, they can be wiped down with some lemon juice to help remove any residual grease, then dry them well.
• Be very careful when separating the eggs, as the tiniest scrap of egg yolk in the whites will stop the meringue reaching its full volume — or, in the worst case, can prevent it gaining any volume at all.
• Mixing the ingredients in a copper bowl, if you have one, can help to add volume to the meringue, and also help the meringue to hold its volume.
• High humidity in the kitchen can adversely affect the meringue. It is best not to let the meringue sit in the bowl too long after mixing — divide into desired portions and immediately place in the oven.